How to Practice the Accordion

Like any musical instrument (or any hobby in general), the accordion takes practice. If you want to be a good accordion player, set aside at least an hour and a half per day to practice your music and learn where you need to improve in your playing.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Find a place that is secluded and quiet for you to practice your accordian so that you will avoid any distractions and no one else is distracted by you. Make sure you are in a comfortable place where you can hold the accordion and read your music easily.

2. Make sure your accordion is in good condition. See that the keys and the bellows are all okay. If you are taking regular care of your accordion, this should not be a problem.

3. Test every note you can play on the keyboard at least once. This will help you make sure the reeds are in good condition and all of the notes play well.

4. Start by practicing the simplest musical numbers you have in your book. This will mostly include the songs played when you started for the first time. You may not play them very often now, but they're good warm-ups.

5. Practice your more recent and complex songs once you get your feel for the keys. You basically want to start slow and simple and increase your pace as you continue your practice.

6. Move on to practicing new songs once you have mastered the others. Remember to start slowly every time you're trying a piece you haven't played before.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have a recording of the song you are playing, try playing it in the background and playing your accordian along with the recording.
• Be sure to mark on your music any places where you are missing notes consistently so you'll remember the places you need to work on the most.
• Take a break every once in a while if you are practicing for an extended period of time. This will help you refresh and clear your head.